The Visitors

This is where I will be giving birth. Our birthing classes at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center include a tour of Labor&Delivery and the Post-partum areas, which we took on Saturday.

The Labor&Delivery building is a beautiful structure overlooking the Hollywood sign and its green canyons and hills. The walls are decorated with art and photographs of its beneficiaries including actors, philantropists, artists and various people making a contribution in one way or another. The windows are big and the rooms are filled with that unmistakable light that is the California sunshine.

Like the first day of school, we were like kids ushered through the hallways with big eyes, trying to get a sense of direction and imagining what it will be like when it's our turn. "Maybe that will be our room?" "Look at that nurse, she doesn't look very nice, I hope she has the day off when we come" "Those are some good-looking sandwiches, I hope they will serve that on my day".

The air was filled with anticipation, and as we saw doctors briskly walking by with their Nike's and scrubs on, I quietly wished them good luck, wherever they were heading. I felt energized and happy that this place is where we will be welcoming our daughter into the world.

As our group was walking down the hallway, a door suddenly opened and out came a nurse pushing a little bed in front of her. In the bed was a tiny baby. A small human that just entered, all swaddled and wearing a little blue hat. The nurse walked right past us with the baby and we all let out a collective "aaaawwww". Our instructor said "yup, that's a new one" and we all giggled. As we past the room from which the nurse had come from, there was a transparent bucket right outside the door, sitting on a cart. It was filled with something bloody and big.

"And there's a placenta" our teacher said. I looked at my husband and saw that his face had turned white. I think his water broke.